Or in other words, it seems there isn’t one thing that can be done in the workshop without something else also needing to be completed first.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing – I’ve said before that the workshop itself is just another tool, and like any tool, it needs maintaining, and fine tuning, and the fine tuning is never really finished in a living workshop.

After moving the dust extractor into the lower shed, I was then left with an empty corner (the one where the drill press used to reside), and a couple of tools that had become homeless (the two benchtop sanders). Hmm. Empty corner, homeless benchtop tools. Now all I need is a corner bench. And thus the day of interconnecting anatomy began.

One of the tools I have received very recently, is the latest addition to the Kreg family of Pockethole Jigs – the K4 from Carbatec, and this was as good a project to get it dusty as any. There were a number of different ways I could join the top up, but given that it was 1 3/8″ particle board, glue isn’t a great option. (I know it as 1 3/8″ because the Kreg is an imperial jig and so I wasn’t working or thinking in metric).

Screwing the top together was going to be an adequate joining method, and given we are not talking about fine furniture here, pocketholes were going to be an ideal method.

To build the bench, I needed to mount the Kreg Jig properly to handle the larger material sizes, and using some more of the 11/8″ particle board was the easiest solution to provide a decent working area. Rather than mounting the jig on a board and then adding side support, I decided it would work better to recess the entire jig into the surface.

Using a Dado Set to cut the recess

To achieve the recess, it was very apparent that this is exactly the sort of task that a dado blade excels at, and it was the final excuse that I needed to actually use a set for a real job. I set up the Linbide 8″ set for this job, with a 20mm kerf (the review of the dado blades is almost ready fwiw).

Linbide Stacked Dado Set

As you can see from the earlier photo, I first cut either side of the recess that I needed, and then used the dado set to clear the waste away. It certainly made short work of the task. (Insert removed for the photo)

Once the recess was created, I gave the board the final shape (and being a bit of scrap, there were some features that were already decided!), then mounted the Kreg Pockethole Jig through the 4 screw holes provided for that task.

Kreg Mounted

With the Kreg Jig in place, and plenty of stock support, I was ready to begin to pockethole in earnest.

Jig Height

The height of the jig is based on the material thickness, and is easily adjusted by loosening the knurled brass knob seen.

The material clamp is easily set at the back to provide good support to the workpiece, and finally, the drill bit itself is readied.

Setting the Jig

There are a number of markings on the back of the jig, with a slot for the drill bit so the depth-stop can be accurately set. The drill bit is unusual – it has a pilot hole cutter, as well as the full slot cutting component. It is shaped such as to produce a square-bottomed hole, with a pilot hole centred at the bottom.